Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso to drive for McLaren in 2015 | Sport | The Guardian Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso to drive for McLaren in 2015 • Former world champion to compete in his 16th F1 season • Kevin Magnussen is retained as test driver Thursday 11 December 2014 10.38 EST First published on Thursday 11 December 2014 03.24 EST This article is 2 years old Jenson Button has kept his McLaren seat for the 2015 season. He told the team’s website : “I am extremely excited to be embarking on my 16th year in Formula One and my sixth season for McLaren. “Like Fernando, I am certain that McLaren and Honda will achieve great things together, and I feel sure that, working together, all of us will pull incredibly hard to create a brilliantly effective winning team.” The future of the 2009 world champion has been in doubt for several months, with McLaren putting off a decision on whether Button or Danish team-mate Kevin Magnussen would drive alongside the returning Fernando Alonso .

The solution the team came up with was to retain Button as partner for Alonso and retain Magnussen as test and reserve driver. “I am glad that Kevin will remain part of the team. He is a very quick driver and a really nice guy,” Button said. Kevin Magnussen will stay on with the team. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA Alonso, who left Ferrari to return to the team who he drove for in 2007 where he endured a fractious relationship with the rookie Lewis Hamilton, said: “Over the past year I have received several offers, some of them really tempting, given the current performance of some of the teams that showed interest. “But, more than a year ago, McLaren-Honda contacted me and asked me to take part, in a very active way, in the return of their partnership – a partnership that dominated the Formula One scene for so long.” The group chief executive Ron Dennis took a surprising amount of time over deciding whether to retain Button or Magnussen. Dennis has faced criticism, in particular after stating at the Italian Grand Prix in September a decision would be made before the final race of the year in Abu Dhabi in November.

Mika Hakkinen, a former double world champion with McLaren, told the Swiss newspaper Blick that “what is happening at McLaren is unworthy of such a team”. Yet Button will drive on for the team he joined in 2010, initially as a team-mate of Hamilton. In his first five seasons there he has finished fifth, second, fifth, ninth and eighth in the drivers’ championship. “He has no reason now not to get the job done, no reason,” said Dennis. “I make no apologies for having the level of consideration that I gave ultimately to the decision. “I spent the weekend thinking about solutions as opposed to problems. I gave Jenson some ideas on solutions, and he just said ‘no problem’, and that was it. Then it was very easy.

“It re-energised my belief that Jenson really wants to be in a Formula One car, and that he can kick Fernando’s butt.” Button by numbers 1,198 career points 266 grands prix started, the third highest in F1 history behind Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher 151 races finished in the points, third on the all-time list behind Schumacher and Fernando Alonso 112 grands prix before his first victory, the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix 50 podiums 15 wins 8 pole positions 6 most pit stops by a winning driver in a single race, the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix 1 world title McLaren Formula 1 - Team - Jenson Button Read more about Jenson's early years , or his time in the junior formulae . Jenson’s arrival into Formula 1 Jenson got his big break in Formula 1 in 2000 with Williams, and became the youngest British driver ever to start an F1 race in Australia, aged just 20 years and 53 days.

That year, he produced some standout performances including finishing fourth at the chaotic German Grand Prix in Hockenheim, in addition to stunning the Formula 1 paddock by qualifying third for the Belgian Grand Prix. After being loaned to Benetton for two years (although the team became Renault in 2002), Button joined British American Racing in 2003, where he immediately made his mark by outscoring his championship-winning team-mate Jacques Villeneuve by 17 points to six. Button managed his first F1 podium in Malaysia in 2004, the first of 10 that season which meant he finished third in the Drivers’ Championship. However Jenson’s breakthrough year was 2006. He drove brilliantly at the Hungarian Grand Prix to take his maiden win after starting down in 14th place. 2007 and 2008 were more testing seasons for Jenson and it was not sure whether he would be racing in 2009 due to Honda’s decision to cease involvement in the sport. The team was saved just a few weeks before the start of the season and renamed Brawn GP.

After winning six of the first seven races, he continued to secure strong points-scoring finishes to realise his dream and become World Drivers’ Champion. Read more about Jenson's Formula 1 debut and Honda's hero . Jenson Button at McLaren Jenson arrived at McLaren as reigning world champion in 2010 and immediately got off to a great start with wins in Australia and China. The following year he won the Canadian Grand Prix in spectacular fashion, contending with a sodden Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, six safety car periods and having to fight through the field three times to take one of the all-time greatest F1 victories. He won further races in 2011 in Hungary and Japan to finish second in the World Drivers’ Championship and achieved similar success in 2012, winning in Australia, Belgium and Brazil. At McLaren-Honda, he has played a critical part in developing and improving the technical package across its tricky first two seasons. From the cockpit, his experience, insight and feedback was unrivalled, and gave the team’s engineers and designers crucial cues from which to develop the car.

For 2017, he’ll continue in this role, but – crucially – will no longer do it as an active grand prix driver. For the first time in 17 years, Jenson won’t be on the Formula 1 grid, choosing instead to step away from the cockpit to act as an advisor and observer for the team. In his new role, he’ll work in the MTC simulator, talk with drivers and engineers, and attend a handful of grands prix in order to remain calibrated and wired-in to the team. Replacing the all-encompassing buzz of Formula 1 will not be straightforward – as any outgoing grand prix driver will attest – but Jenson will remain a key part of McLaren-Honda in 2017, a role which should ease him through this transitional element of his incredible career. The Jenson Button Trust Held in high esteem by his fellow F1 drivers, Jenson also dedicates time away from the circuit to help charities. In 2010, he set up the Jenson Button Trust, which supports and fundraises for charitable causes and campaigns close to his heart.

He is therefore highly regarded throughout the sporting world not only for his motor racing achievements but also for trying to help those who need it most.

Share this article Date of birth January 19 1980 Titles 2009 Wins 15 (8 for McLaren) Poles 8 Jenson Button proud of first McLaren 2015 F1 points in Monaco GP - F1 - Autosport More in F1 More F1 News Hulkenberg's Renault move 'stunned' Perez Sergio Perez admits he was "stunned" when he found out Nico Hulkenberg was leaving Force India to join rival Formula 1 outfit Renault for 2017 1484840003 F1 Mercedes signs Russell to its junior roster Mercedes has added 2014 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner George Russell to its junior programme, alongside Formula 1 drivers Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon 1484829156 F1 Williams felt bad asking Massa to return Claire Williams admits she felt bad about asking Felipe Massa to reverse his decision to retire from Formula 1 so he could replace Mercedes-bound Valtteri Bottas 1484825081 F1 Honda made great progress in 2016 - Renault Honda did "a great job

" with the progress it made during its second season back in Formula 1, according to Renault chief technical officer Bob Bell 1484821119 F1 FIA approves F1 takeover by Liberty Liberty Media's purchase of Formula 1 has received unanimous approval from members of the FIA World Motor Sport Council, paving the way for the deal to be completed 1484760264 F1 Trending On Autosport Spectator dies after Monte Carlo crash A spectator has died from injuries sustained when Hayden Paddon crashed out of the first stage of the World Rally Championship-opening Monte Carlo Rally on Thursday night 1484888678 WRC Hyundai continues but withdraws Paddon Hyundai has withdrawn Hayden Paddon's car from the Monte Carlo Rally following Thursday's opening stage crash in which a spectator died 1484896929 WRC Hulkenberg's Renault move 'stunned' Perez Sergio Perez admits he was "stunned" when he found out Nico Hulkenberg was leaving Force India to join rival Formula 1 outfit Renault for 2017 1484840003 F1 Paddon crash halts Monte Carlo

 opener The opening stage of the 2017 World Rally Championship has been cancelled after Hayden Paddon crashed his Hyundai i20 WRC in Monte Carlo 1484856144 WRC Teams fail to agree on private VW programme Volkswagen's future in the World Rally Championship remains in the balance after manufacturers failed to reach a conclusion in a meeting on Thursday 1484836888 WRC Autosport Plus Will F1's 2017 rule changes improve racing?

As Formula 1 edges closer to the start of a 'bigger and faster' era, Nigel Roebuck uses his 'Fifth Column' to ask, 'Who will actually benefit from the rule changes?' 1484784000 F1 Why F1's new owner's next move is critical FIA approval of Formula 1's change of control of commercial rights was the latest hurdle cleared for new owner Liberty Media Group. Its next actions will dictate the pace and scale of the change F1 sorely needs 1484784000 F1 Why Formula 1 is under threat from driverless cars How does Formula 1's future look alongside the inevitable rise of driverless cars on the road? Bleak, unless F1's stakeholders can work out what it should be 1484697600 F1 Is this the WRC's last chance? The 2017 World Rally Championship is Group B in disguise. The cars are meaner and a shake-up in the competitive order means the title fight looks open - but will it revive rallying's ailing fortunes?

1484697600 WRC Why it’s not game over at Mercedes for Wehrlein The 2017 Formula 1 grid took shape with a trio of announcements - Pascal Wehrlein to Sauber being the lowest-profile. Though he has been spurned by Mercedes in one sense, Wehrlein's not drinking from the last-chance saloon just yet 1484611200 F1 × Jenson Button is named as McLaren driver for 2015 - Telegraph Jenson Button Jenson Button is named as McLaren driver for 2015 Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso make up the McLaren driver line-up for 2015, ending months of speculation over future of Briton's Formula One career Still in the game: Jenson Button has been named as a McLaren driver after months of uncertainty Photo: PA By Telegraph Sport , and Reuters 2:59PM GMT 11 Dec 2014 Follow Jenson Button has been named McLaren's driver for 2015 at a press conference at the team's Woking factory on Wednesday, ending months of uncertainty over the Briton's future in the sport.

Button, 34, had been widely expected to be jettisoned by McLaren at the end of the season, though had been left in limbo in an unseemly saga over his future while McLaren dithered in a series of board meetings, yet has signed a two-year deal with the team. He will drive alongside Fernando Alonso, who as expected has arrived from Ferrari. "I thought about life outside of Formula 1 but it's nowhere near as fun as inside of it," Button said. "My heart has always been with racing with McLaren and Honda." "Sometimes the best things in life are worth waiting for! This is a really, really exciting challenge. To race alongside this guy [Alonso] really does mean a lot to me. "I am extremely excited to be embarking on my 16th year in Formula 1 and my sixth season for McLaren.

Related Articles Button left in McLaren limbo again 04 Dec 2014 "Like Fernando, I am certain that McLaren and Honda will achieve great things together, and I feel sure that, working together, all of us will pull incredibly hard to create a brilliantly effective winning team." "Last but far from least, I am very much looking forward to having a driver as fast and as experienced as Fernando as my team-mate. I am sure we will work extremely well together," he said. Alonso, 33, joins McLaren after five disappointing years at Ferrari and it will be the second time he has raced for the Woking-based team after a turbulent spell in 2007, but now he wants to remain for the long haul. "I am joining this project with enormous enthusiasm and determination, knowing that it may require some time to achieve the results we are aiming for, which is no problem for me," Alonso said. "Over the past year I have received several offers, some of them really tempting, given the current performance of some of the teams that showed interest.

But, more than a year ago, McLaren-Honda contacted me and asked me to take part, in a very active way, in the return of their partnership – a partnership that dominated the Formula One scene for so long." Alonso revealed that the pull of following in the footsteps of Ayrton Senna, who won three titles during a glorious five-year spell with McLaren from 1988 to 1993, was too good to turn down. He added: "I have never hidden my deep admiration for Ayrton Senna, my favourite driver, my idol on track, my reference. "I still remember, as a kid, the posters in my wardrobe, my toy cars in which I dreamed I would one day emulate Ayrton." Ron Dennis, the team's chief executive, and Eric Boullier, the racing director, were understood to have wanted to pair new arrival Alonso with Kevin Magnussen, who is considerably cheaper and younger than Button. Honda, who supply McLaren's engines next season, developed an excellent relationship with Button from 2006-08, while it is thought the 2009 world champion's experience will also help smoothe the transition period for the team.

Team McLaren: Yasuhisa Arai of Honda, Button, Magnussen, Alonso and Dennis Magnussen will remain with the team as test, reserve and third driver and Button, while thrilled to have got the nod, is glad the Dane is staying as well. "I am very pleased to have been invited to do my bit. In fact, I am absolutely raring to go," he added. "I am also very glad that Kevin will remain part of the team. He is a very quick driver and a really nice guy." Amid the excitement of the announcement Button also had a bit of fun on social media, tweeting: "Just woken up, what's going on?!" Dennis, who has been criticised for the protracted nature of the team's selection process, is confident the wait was worth it and they have a duo to be reckoned with. "McLaren's policy has always been to assemble the strongest line-up possible, and in Fernando and Jenson I firmly believe that is exactly what we have," he said.

"For many reasons our negotiations with Jenson took quite a long time, but, now that they have been concluded, we are confident that our collaboration with him will continue to thrive in the future every bit as well as it has in the past. "Make no mistake about it, Jenson is 100 per cent committed to McLaren-Honda, to Formula One, and to winning." Jenson Button turns driving instructor as he puts Cristiano Ronaldo through his paces on the racetrack Jenson Button F1 driver biography | F1 Fanatic Career stats Backed by father (and former rallycross racer) John, Jenson Button charted a rapid rise through the ranks of karting, beginning with a flawless performance in the 1991 British Cadet Karting Championship in which he won all 34 races. Further karting successes followed: he was British Open Karting Champion on three occasions and later became the youngest ever winner of the European Super A category. He also won the Ayrton Senna Memorial Cup in 1997. The following year he made the step from karts to cars at the age of 18.

He won the British Formula Ford championship with nine wins for Haywood racing and also triumphed in the prestigious Formula Ford Festival ahead of Dan Wheldon and Nicolas Kiesa. He also raced Formula Fords in Europe and finished second in the European championship. After such a successful transition to racing cars he won the 1998 McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award. At 19 he entered the British Formula Three championship with Promatecme and won three, finishing the year as the top rookie, third overall behind Marc Hynes and Luciano Burti. He finished fifth in the F3 Masters at Zandvoort, but fared better at the Macau Formula Three Grand Prix. He chased reigning Japanese Formula Three champion to the flag, finishing just 0.035s behind the winner. As the racing season drew to a close Button had his first taste of F1 machinery in a McLaren as reward for his Autosport award win the previous season. He also tested for the Prost Grand Prix team.

Williams 2000 Then a rare opportunity presented itself at one of Britain’s most famous racing teams – Williams, where incumbent racer Alessandro Zanardi had cut short his two-year contract after an unsuccessful season. Frank Williams elected to promote either Button or Formula 3000 racer Bruno Junquiera to the race team. After comparing both in a ‘shoot-out’ test, Williams chose Button. The media quickly picked up upon Button’s popularity and he largely impressed in his debut season. Despite qualifying only 21st for his first race after a series of car problems and bad luck he drove a composed first race. Then he picked up a point in his second outing, becoming the youngest ever points-scorer. Despite further impressive performances at Hockenheim and Spa-Francorchamps he could do nothing to hang on to his Williams seat, which was destined for Juan Pablo Montoya . Benetton 2001 Button moved to Benetton for 2001, but with the team in transition to Renault he struggled against long-term driver Giancarlo Fisichella . All he had to show for the season was a single points finish at the Hockenheimring.

But with Renault taking over the team Button could look forward to a more competitive 2002. Renault 2002 Jarno Trulli arrived in Fisichella’s place for 2002 and he and Button proved quite closely matched. Button was on target for a podium finish in the second round at Sepang until a tie-rod broke in his suspension, slowing him down and letting Michael Schumacher by for third on the final lap. When the car was reliable Button usually brought it home in the points, allowing him to beat Trulli to seventh at the end of the season. But team boss Flavio Briatore promoted Fernando Alonso (whom Briatore managed) in Button’s place for 2003. BAR 2003 Fortunately Button found a strong supporter in BAR’s David Richards, and he showed well alongside Jacques Villeneuve , whom Richards dropped at the end of the year. 2004 In 2004 Button became a regular visitor to the podium. The team were the closest thing Ferrari had to rivals. A row over Button’s contract developed as he tried – and failed – to make a return to Williams.

2005 Incredibly the same dispute happened in reverse in 2005 as he tried to extricate himself from a Williams contract after Honda bought out BAR. The season was more or less a write-off after the team were banned for two races after the stewards discovered an illegal reserve fuel tank in the car at Imola. Honda 2006 Button’s reward came the following year at Hungary. After a difficult season where the team (now taken over by Honda) had failed to deliver on their strong off-season promise, Button put in a cool performance to win from 14th in slippery conditions . The team ended the year on a high, Button scoring more points than any other driver in the final six rounds 2007 But the next season was a disaster. The Shuhei Nakamoto-designed RA107 was shockingly uncompetitive, the team even languishing behind Super Aguri (who used the 2006 Honda chassis) in the opening rounds. Button carved out a meagre six points that year, mainly thanks to a strong fifth in the rain at Shanghai. This was at least better than team mate Rubens Barrichello , who failed to score at all.

2008 Somehow it got even worse the following year. The latest Honda proved well off the pace again, and this time Barrichello had the beating of him. All year long the team’s focus had been on readying itself for the 2009 season – but at the beginning of December Honda announced it was quitting the sport, and Button was left wondering if he’d ever get back into an F1 car. Brawn 2009 Honda’s policy of sacrificing their 2008 campaign to work on the 2009 campaign would have paid off if they’d stayed around to see it happen. Instead they put the team up for sale at the end of 2008 and Ross Brawn took over the running of the outfit. Button stayed on board and was rewarded for his loyalty. The new car – now dubbed the BGP 001 and Mercedes-powered – was a sensation from the moment it first turned a wheel in practice. Button won from pole position at the opening round of 2009 in Melbourne and added five more wins over the next six races. Things started to go wrong for Button at his home race, where he struggled to qualifying among the leaders.

But he continued to deliver the goods on race day and consistent points-scoring meant none of his three major rivals were able to keep him from the title. He won the championship at Brazil with a race to spare. It was a drive worthy of a champion – Button started 14th after a rain-hit qualifying session but raced to fifth, passing several rivals on the way despite needing to exercise caution to defend his championship lead. McLaren After the jubilant scenes at Interlagos there came a surprising announcement: Button revealed he was leaving the team, which had been taken over by Mercedes, and moving to McLaren. There he joined the driver he’d succeeded as champion – Lewis Hamilton . 2010 To the surprise of many, Button held the upper hand early on in 2010. A pair of opportunistic wins in wet races in Melbourne and Shanghai put him in the lead of the drivers’ championship. But over the balance of the season Hamilton’s edge on raw pace told and he was usually up the road from Button. At times Button’s strategic gambles paid dividends, particularly in Monza where a gamble on strategy brought him within touching distance of another win.

Qualifying remained a weakness, however, and after struggling in the rain in Korea he dropped out of contention for the championship. 2011 Formula One’s change of tyre supplier to Pirelli, and the accompanying demand for less durable and more challenging rubber to improve the quality of racing, played into Button’s hands in 2011. More so than Hamilton, Button came to understand how to get the best out of the new tyres for longer. That much was clear as early as the second race in Malaysia, where Button was able to make one fewer pit stop than Hamilton and finish in front of him. He scored a remarkable win in Canada thanks to his skill in mixed weather conditions. Despite an early collision with Hamilton, a puncture following contact with Alonso, and a penalty, Button bounced back to reel in Sebastian Vettel as the race drew to a close. On the final lap, as the McLaren got within range of the Red Bull, Vettel slithered wide and Button stole victory. He won again in Hungary in another race of mixed conditions, which he read better than Hamilton. A third win came in Japan, this time a straight fight between Button, Vettel and Alonso – the three outstanding talents of the year.

The MP4-26 may not have been a championship contender, but Button ended the year runner-up to Vettel and comfortably ahead of Hamilton. 2012 Button’s third year at McLaren was a mixed affair which saw three wins but also a dismal patch early in the season when he struggled with the latest generation of the tyres and was well off the pace. That ended any realistic chances of a further championship win early on, but he followed up his victory in the opening race of the season with wins at Spa and at the final round in Brazil. 2013 Button’s hopes of a competitive showing in his fourth year with McLaren were dashed early in the season. The MP4/28 was nowhere near as competitive as its predecessor, and he and new team mate Sergio Perez failed to score a podium finish all year long. There were several occasions when Button extracted the best the car had to offer, but that rarely amount to a finish in the top half of the points places. His best result was fourth at the season finale in Brazil. 2014 Button was dealt a terrible blow at the beginning of 2014 when his father John passed away.

As a tribute, he wore a pink helmet at his home race, and continued to do so for the rest of the season. It was a trying year for the team which was in a transitional year, using Mercedes engines for the last time and awaiting the return of Honda. Surprisingly, though Button comfortably out-scored new team mate Kevin Magnussen , he found his position at the team in doubt for 2015. It wasn’t until long after the season had ended that McLaren elected to renew Button’s contract for a sixth season. 2015 Button’s reunion with Honda was an experience disappointingly reminiscent of his frustrating 2007 and 2008 campaigns. In the first race of the year, where just 11 cars saw the chequered flag, Button’s was the 11th. He figured among the points scorers just four times all season. He kept a brave face on the situation despite the car’s lack of performance being aggravated by dreadful reliability. Button frequently started from the back two rows due to car failures or penalties due to engine component changes – he and new team mate Fernando Alonso set records for the latter over the course of the year.

The championship proved a greater test of Button’s diplomacy than his driving skills, but he was duly confirmed to return for the team again in 2016. 2016 Honda made a clear step forward in their second year which meant Button was able to compete for points more regularly. In Bahrain McLaren gave their highly-rated junior driver Stoffel Vandoorne his debut as Alonso missed the race due to injury. He scored a point while Button retired with an engine failure. McLaren opted to promote Vandoorne to their race team for 2017 but also arranged for Button to remain part of their line-up. While he elected to step down from racing at the end of 2016, he retained an option to return after a season away.

Jenson Button pictures Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, Silverstone, 2002 Jenson Button, BAR, Indianapolis, 2003 Jenson Button, BAR, Monaco, 2004 Jenson Button, Honda, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, 2006 Jenson Button, Honda, Monaco, 2007 Jenson Button, Honda, Circuit de Catalunya, 2008 Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, Interlagos, 2009 Jenson Button, McLaren, Monza, 2010 Jenson Button, McLaren, Suzuka, 2011 Jenson Button, McLaren, Spa-Francorchamps, 2012 Jenson Button, McLaren, Interlagos, 2013 Jenson Button, McLaren, Silverstone, 2014 Jenson Button, McLaren, Circuit de Catalunya, 2015 Jenson Button helmets F1: Canadian GP – as it happened | Sport | The Guardian Formula One 2015 F1: Canadian GP – as it happened Lewis Hamilton led from start to finish in Montreal to increase his championship advantage over team-mate

 Nico Rosberg, who finished second, to 17 points Updated Sunday 7 June 2015 15.57 EDT First published on Sunday 7 June 2015 13.10 EDT 15:55 Rosberg puts a brave face on things and Bottas praises his team’s “dynamic” strategy.

So, Hamilton has increased his championship lead to 17 points over Rosberg after leading throughout in Montreal. It was a pretty dry race at the front but Vettel and Massa provided plenty of entertainment slicing through the field to finish P5 and P6 respectively. Next up: Austria. That it’s from me, thanks for reading. Bye! Updated 15:50 Lewis Hamilton: “I love Montreal. I love this track, this city, really a fantastic weekend and great to get back to the top step. Nico was quick but I felt like I always had under control. It was a great race, I don’t know how it was to watch.” He then slips into some panto back and forth with the crowd. “Did I need this win?!” he asks. “Yes!” the handful of fans listening reply. Updated 15:47 Hamilton lifts a meaty trophy in the air, he looks quietly chuffed with himself. Bottas celebrates third with Raikkonen levels of glee (not much). A bit of light champagne spraying follows and this week no one walks off in a strop. Here’s Ted with the interviews...

Updated 15:41 It’s a fine day for Williams too with Valtteri Bottas finishing third after Raikkonen’s spin at the hairpin allowed him to jump a spot. Massa has had a good day too, climbing from P16 to P6, while Vettel moved from P18 to P5 with some impressive passes. Here’s how they finished in Canada: Formula 1 (@F1) #CANADIANGP 1 HAM 2 ROS 3 BOT 4 RAI 5 VET 6 MAS 7 MAL 8 HUL 9 KVY 10 GRO 11 PER 12 SAI 13 RIC 14 ERI 14 VES 16 NAS 17 STE 15:36 Lewis Hamilton wins the 2015 Canadian GP Lap 70: Hamilton is told to look after his fuel as he begins his final lap, and he replies with a short, sharp “leave me to it.” Hamilton has enough of a gap to see it home without Rosberg in his mirrors and he’s grabbed his fourth win in Montreal!

It hasn’t been a classic by any means, but Hamilton was near-flawless right from lights out. Rosberg claims second to minimise the championship points damage. 15:30 Lap 66/70: Hamilton does love Montreal. His fourth victory in Canada is almost his now as he pushes to extend the gap to Rosberg to 2secs. Vettel, who started in P18 on the grid, isn’t going to catch Raikkonen but it’s a stunning effort nonetheless to finish 5th, if he does so. Updated 15:28 Lap 64/70: Maldonado puts up absolutely no fight – rare for him – as Massa passes to take P6. At the front Rosberg hammers in his fastest lap of the race but that gap to Hamilton is still fluttering around 1.3secs. It’s going to be another close finish but Hamilton looks comfortable, for now. 15:22 Lap 60/70: Hamilton is told to lift and coast in order to look after his fuel. He wants to know how far from the braking zone he should start to coast: “100m?” he asks.

“50m is enough,” is the reply from the team. Lap 58: Oh dear. McLaren’s radio engineer wearily tells Button: “Bring the car in to box.” Button’s race is over and he joins his team-mate, Fernando Alonso, in the garage. McLaren (@McLarenF1) Lap 58 in Canada. Jenson pulls into his stall to retire. A double DNF at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. #CanadianGP 15:17 Lap 56: Vettel takes Maldonado and he’s up to P5, what a race he’s put together from 18th on the grid and he’s now one place behind his Ferrari team-mate, Raikkonen. With 25 laps to go here’s how things look at the front: 1 Ham 2 Ros 3 Bot 4 Rai 5 Vet 6 Mal 7 Mas 8 Hul 9 Kvy 10 Gro 15:14 Lap 54: Stevens was straight on the radio fuming with Grosjean, while the Lotus driver likewise was quickly on to his team, claiming: “He hit me!

He hit me!” but the stewards were quick to punish Grosjean for that error. At the front Hamilton is 1.3secs clear of Rosberg. Are we set for a thrilling battle to the line? Probably not but let’s get excited hoping so. 15:10 Lap 50/70: There’s been plenty of incident at the hairpin this weekend: it’s where Hamilton slid off the track in the rain earlier this weekend and where Raikkonen spun to give up P3 to Bottas, which all reminds me of this video from 1991, when Nigel Mansell pulled up on his way to winning on the final lap having waved to the grandstand a minute earlier. 15:05 Lap 48: Mercedes are all over the radio pretty much stoking up their boys for a last 10 lap showdown. Meanwhile Fernando Alonso is retiring from the grand prix, the third race in the row that he’s done so. A pretty torrid season for McLaren gets worse. 15:03 Lap 46: Vettel weaves left and then right before attacking down the inside of Hulkenberg at the final chicane.

The Force India spins to avoid the wall of champions and Vettel is past into P8. Vettel is quickly on the radio to defend himself: “I did not touch him,” he insists, and the replay suggests he didn’t. That incident might be looked into but their didn’t seem a lot in it. Lap 44: Kimi Raikkonen posts the fastest lap of the race with a 1:16.987. He’s enjoying those nice and grippy supersofts and is closing the 20 secs gap to Bottas (P3) ahead. Formula 1 (@F1) 14:56 Lap 40: Out in front the Mercedes are racing their own race. Rosberg is 1.5 secs behind his team-mate. Rosberg has been asked to look after his brakes while Hamilton has been told to conserve his fuel, so neither are pushing with everything they’ve got, for now. McLaren (@McLarenF1) Lap 40 in Montreal. Fernando P16, Jenson P18. HAM leads from ROS, BOT, RAI, GRO, MAL, HUL, VET, MAS, KVY.

#CanadianGP 14:54 Lap 38: Mercedes to Rosberg: “Brakes are now critical.” He’s told to ease off and wait until later in the race to attack the race-leader, Lewis Hamilton. Massa has been flying and finally comes in for a pit, dropping from P6 to P9 and coming out inches in front of Kvyat. The intention is for that stop to be Massa’s only one of the race, but to get to lap 70 on supersoft tyres is going to be a big ask. 14:49 Lap 34: Fernando Alonso makes his first pit of the race and feeds out right in front of Hamilton (but a lap back), slowing the race leader a little. Most of the drivers are now on the soft tyres rather than the supersofts which they started the race with, which should mean less grip, more durability. Lap 32: Rosberg’s pit is very efficient: shoes off, shoes on, and he’s quickly back out on the track. He’s made up a second or so, now 2secs behind Hamilton.

Hamilton is quickest so far but Vettel is pushing hard from the back of the field: Formula 1 (@F1) 14:42 Lap 30: Bottas pits, desperate to return to the track in front of Raikkonen following that error... and Bottas pulls it off! The Williams driver is up to P3. Hamilton pits too and it’s very smooth, he stay in P1. Rosberg, who runs wide at the hairpin after locking up, is expected to pit shortly. 14:40 Lap 28: Raikkonen pits and comes back out in P4, but the Fin spins at the hairpin with the sort of 360 you’d see from some kids in a Tesco carpark, smoke billowing around him. “Exactly the same happened last year!” he shouts down the radio. Kimi Raikkonen spins off the track.

Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images Updated 14:33 Lap 23: Vettel doesn’t seem to have a huge amount of grip and is slipping across the track at the chicane exits but his straight line speed gives him the opportunity to get past first Alonso, then Verstappen, and now Carlos Sainz: he’s up to P13. 14:30 Lap 21: There’s a very entertaining battle going on for P14 where Max Verstappen is attempting to hold off Alonso and Vettel. Alonso jinks to the right and tries to hold off Vettel as they approach the final chicane... and does so. Massa meanwhile is up to 7th after passing Kvyat. Lap 16: So things are going very smoothly for Hamilton out in front. He’s 3secs clear of Rosberg who is in turn 3secs clear of Raikkonen. Bottas in P4 is more than 10secs in front of Grosjean’s Lotus. Hamilton leads Rosberg and Raikkonen.

Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images Updated 14:22 Lap 14: Hulkenberg complains over the radio that he is struggling for grip on his supersoft tyres while Massa’s Mercedes powered engine makes it effortless overtaking Ricciardo and his Renault powered Red Bull. The Brazilian is up to P10 having started 15th. 14:19 Here’s the running after 12 laps in Montreal: 1 Ham 2 Ros 3 Rai 4 Bot 5 Gro 6 Hul 7 Mal 8 Kvy 9 Per 10 Ric 11 Mas 12 Eri 13 Sai 14 Alo 15 Ves 16 Nas 17 Vet (1 pit) 18 But 19 Ste 20 Mer 14:16 Lap 11: Sensational driving as Ericsson and Massa go wheel-to-wheel and come millimetres from touching! Ericsson holds the inside on turn one but finds himself on the outside at turn two and is forced to give up P11 – brilliant from both to avoid a collision there.

14:10 Lap 5: Massa brakes late down the inside and takes Alonso on turn one, and Vettel tries the same trick a lap later. He gets it wrong but takes the McLaren down the circuit’s longest straight. Vettel is now up to P13. 14:07 Lap 3: That was a pretty incident free start and a perfect one for Hamilton, already digging out a one-second lead to deny Rosberg the chance to use DRS. Vettel is jumping plenty of places and is already up to 14th. 14:05 2015 Canadian GP: lights out! Lap 1: Hamilton gets a quick start leaving Rosberg and Raikkonen to fend off Bottas and Grosjean behind them. Vettel jumps two places up to P16 while Jenson Button serves his drive-through penalty for failing to take part in qualifying. 14:01 The drivers get away on their formation lap. Lights out shortly! Over the radio Hamilton thanks his team for their hard work this week: “Really appreciated,” he says. Stick with us, here’s the sort of commentary you can expect throughout. Patridge shows off his love for F1.

13:52 The grid Around ten minutes until things get under way in Canada. Here’s the grid, bookended by British world champions each with reason to be fed up with their teams right now. 1 Hamilton 2 Rosberg 13:47 2014 Canadian GP Last year’s race in Montreal certainly didn’t disappoint. Hamilton pulled over in lap 48, car billowing with smoke following brakes failure, leaving Massa to chase Vettel, Perez, Ricciardo and Rosberg. Ricciardo picked off race-leader Rosberg with two laps remaining, before Perez clipped Massa and both piled into the barriers in a huge crash at the start of the final lap to leave Ricciardo to cruise to his first F1 grand prix victory under yellow flags. 13:42 If someone is to stop Mercedes’ dominance in Montreal it will most likely be Kimi Raikkonen. The weekend has brought mixed fortunes for Ferrari after introducing a new power unit. The Fin will start from P3 after qualifying four tenths back from Rosberg and not showing the improved performance Ferrari were expecting – though the real boost might show in race pace.

But it was a disastrous qualifying for his team-mate: Vettel suffered power failure in Q1 before being demoted three places after overtaking Ricardo Merhi under red flags, and will start from P18. Then again, it’s a fun track to rip through the field from the back as Jenson Button proved in 2011 . That must all seem a long time ago for Button as reliability woes continue to dog his season. He starts at the back after energy-recovery system failure caused him to miss qualifying completely behind Max Verstappen, who has been hit with a double grid-wammy. Verstappen comes into the weekend with a five-place grid penalty after causing that dramatic collision with Romain Grosjean in Monaco. And Verstappen has been handed a further 10-place drop thanks to using his fifth engine of the year in Montreal – each driver may use no more than four power units per season. Can Kimi Raikkonen stop the Mercedes in Canada? Photograph: Getty Images 11:31 Preamble When I was 18 I came across an advert for my dream summer job.

I phoned to hastily line up an interview with the private members club on the posh side of town where the vacant bar role included free use of their tennis courts and swimming pool. “Cashback,” I thought. The job was a perfect fit for my laissez-faire life attitude and I was excited. The interview was at three o’clock and mother kindly offered to drive me there, but, when the time came she overran her supermarket shop in what could accurately be described as ‘a complete misjudgement’. I missed the interview, missed out on the job and would go on to spend the summer at the local pub-diner where punters fought and chefs bullied fresh-faced bar staff. Standing in the driveway that day, I was seething. But did I admonish her at a post-race press conference (family dinner table)? No. She apologised, vowed to learn from it and we all moved on. In the exact same way (other than Hamilton driving a Mercedes F1 W06 hybrid and mum driving a Peugeot 206), Lewis Hamilton was let down by his Mercedes team in Monaco last time out.

“Don’t talk to me,” he initially barked down the radio following the catastrophic decision to pit which denied him his first career win in Monte Carlo. Afterwards a red-faced Toto Wolff grovelled: “What the hell happened there? That’s exactly the right question and the simple answer is we got the math, the calculation, wrong. We thought the gap was different to what it was. A complete misjudgment, I am so sorry.” In Canada Hamilton has the chance to put the events of two weeks ago to bed, much like I did with the incident I regularly refer to as ‘interview-gate’ but which mum doesn’t really remember. F1’s European stint has taken a little vacation to a small island in Montreal where long straights follow challenging chicanes. Does a Hamilton procession to the chequered flag await? A dominant weekend so far on the timesheets, claiming his sixth pole in seven races this season, on top of his 10 point championship lead suggests so, particularly with Sebastian Vettel starting near the back of the grid and the Red Bulls well off the pace.

But Kimi Raikkonen comes into the weekend armed with a new power unit that Ferrari are confident will bring them closer to the Silver Arrows while Lotus – who lock out the third row – and Valtteri Bottas in his Williams showed the benefit of a Mercedes powered engine round this circuit. But there’s no doubt about the favourite, on a track where he is a three-time winner. Hamilton insisted this week: “I have full trust in the team. We have had pretty incredible success together and one race does not dent the solid foundation that we have.” I know exactly how you feel, Lewis. Lights out: 7pm BST (2pm in Montreal). Updated Watch Jenson Button's Hilarious Reaction To Fernando Alonso's Awkward Question By Tom Bellingham - Nov 20, 2014 There’s been plenty of discussion about who Fernando Alonso will partner at McLaren next year and that continued in the Abu Dhabi press conference. Here’s what happened when Alonso got asked if he’d like Jenson Button as his team-mate next year, when Button was sat right next to him.

[fve] McLaren team announcement RECAP: Jenson Button to partner Fernando Alonso in 2015 - Mirror Online Sport McLaren team announcement RECAP: Jenson Button to partner Fernando Alonso in 2015 The team revealed their driver line-up at a news conference in Surrey, with Fernando Alonso to be partnered by the charismatic Brit Share

Question: As at June 2015 for which F1 team do Jensen Button and Fernando Alonso race?
Answer: McLAREN